Chihuahua Momo: Latest member of Japan police rescue squad

A Chihuahua named Momo, or ‘Peach’, now becomes the latest member of Japan police rescue squad, according to international news sites.

Sankei Shimbun, a daily Japanese newspaper that was said to have first reported this news, announced that the seven-year old Chihuahua passed a canine rescue test last week, which made it earn credentials to be a member of Japan police rescue squad.

A spokeswoman for the Nara Police Department in western Japan told the news that Momo, or ‘Peach’ is scheduled to start on its new job in January 2011.

According to her, the three-kilogram (about 7 lbs) dog spent less than five minutes to discover by sniffing out the target (a scent of a human survivor) within 100 square meters area.

“It’s quite rare for us to have a Chihuahua work as a Police Dog,” the spokeswoman told the Japanese news.

“We would like it to work hard by taking advantage of its small size,” an officer of Nara Police Department was quoted as saying.

Chihuahuas are among the smallest breed of dogs and named after a Mexican state, and Momo will now join the likes of German shepherds as members of disaster rescue squad in Japan.